THE REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF ACADEMIC STAFF AT MUSIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS IN TURKEY: COMPARISON OF 2016 AND 2023

Abstract

The quantitative and qualitative qualification of the academic staff at Music Education Departments (MED) has a great importance in reaching the determined goals of the education-training process. The first aim of the research is to determine the qualitative and quantitative qualification status of the academic staff of MEDs within the scope of 2023, and the second aim is to determine the positive or negative changes by comparing the years 2016 and 2023. It was foreseen that the awareness to be created by the results would contribute to the training of qualified music educators and to the more qualified service of these departments.

As a result of the research in which the descriptive method was preferred in the survey model, it was determined that the total number of MED academic staff in Turkey decreased from 436 in 2016 to 409 in 2023, and the total number of students, which was 4004 in 2016, decreased to 3080 students in 2023. The significant decrease in the number of students was seen as the main factor of the decrease in the average number of students per academician from 9.51 in 2016 to 7.7 in 2023. One of the factors in the decrease in the number of students was the application of the 800 thousandth success order prerequisite in the Special Talent Exams. It was also concluded that the strongest region in terms of the numerical distribution of the academic staff to the regions was the Central Anatolia in 2016 and 2023, and the weakest region was the Southeastern Anatolia in 2016 and 2023.